Some different competitions to enter
There aren’t so many competitions to enter the beginning of the next year, though there are three free ones to have a go at. The disadvantage of these is that a lot of people might enter them. The Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition, though £18, is worth checking out if you write children’s or YA novels. There are a couple of unusual competitions in the Rheidol and Aberystwyth Prizes, if you’re interested in Welsh settings or themes. If you live in Scotland and write children’s fiction, have a look at the Kelpies Prize. And if you’re a budding playwright, the Drip Action Theatre Company’s competition might be right up your street.
Good luck and let us know of any successes.
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January Competition:
Drip Action Theatre Company Fiction Competition
Theme: Play lasting 30 to 40 minutes
Prize: £250 plus performance at Arundel Festival
Closing date: 31 January 2019
Entry: Free
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February competitions:
Rheidol Prize for Writing with a Welsh Theme or Setting
Theme: Several forms accepted, including non-fiction and novella
Prize: £1,000 advance on ebook publishing deal / £300 + voucher towards residential course
Closing date: 4 February 2019
Entry: £10
Aberystwyth Prize for Dystopian Novella
Theme: Novella set in Wales or with Welsh theme
Prize: £1,000 advance on ebook publishing deal / £300 + voucher towards residential course
Closing date: 4 February 2019
Entry: £10
Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize
Theme: Novel by a woman over 21, Open theme, unpublished, first 40 – 50 pages
Prize: £1,500 / All shortlisted entries receive a half-hour consultation
Closing date: 8 February 2019
Entry: £12
Solution Loans Short Story Competition
Theme: ‘A New Home’, 1,500 – 2,000 words
Prize: £200 + publication on the site / 3 x £50
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: Free
Margery Allingham Short Story Competition
Theme: Crime story, unpublished, 3,500 words max
Prize: £500 plus two weekend passes for Crime Fest 2020
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: £12
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 3,000 words max
Prize: £700 / £250 / £100 / Devon prize £100
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: £7
Flash 500 Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,000 – 3,000 words
Prize: £500 / £200 / £100
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: £7
Kelpie Prize (for those based in Scotland)
Theme: Children’s fiction. Need to enter five chapters of a novel and synopsis, synopsis for another novel and a piece of writing 1,000 – 3,000 words starting with sentence provided.
Prize: £1,000 + publishing contract with Floris Books, mentoring and retreat.
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: Free
Scottish Arts Short Story Award
Theme: Open, 2,000 words max
Prize: £1,000 / £500 / £250 / Isobel Lodge Award open to unpublished writers born or living in Scotland
Closing date: 28 February 2019
Entry: £10
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Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Winchester Writers’ Conference, Twyford Writers, Chorley & District Writer’s Circle, Retreat West, Cordelia.net, Meridian Writing, Flash a Famous Phrase, Wells Festival, and Writing Magazine. She’s had stories and a serial published in magazines worldwide. Her first book, Danger for Daisy, is due to be published by My Weekly Pocket Novels on December 27th. Apart from the RNA, she’s also a member of the Society for Women Writers and Journalists. Francesca runs a writing blog along with RNA member Elaine Roberts called Write Minds.
